About ME

I am an artist, a thinker and a minimalist at heart… I love being out in the sunshine… I love animals of nearly every kind, at least the furry ones, I am trying to be a gardener… I believe people are good at the core but are also capable of very bad things when they aren’t intentional about their actions… I love my family, my passions and my life… I am just me 🙂

My Story:

Since I was a tiny girl I always wanted to build my own place that had everything I wanted in it, nothing more nothing less. My own personal ‘fort’. In the house I grew up in there was a space on the side of the deck where my folks built a dog kennel. It was sort of tucked back and thus was a sweet little hiding spot. I used to go out and hang a hammock in the kennel and hang out with the dog all the time. It was my favorite place to be, partly I’m sure because our German Shepard spent time there too… he and I were BFF’s. The thing about it was that I could only hang out there when the weather was nice. So I started thinking that I wanted to build an enclosed fort there. I actually started saving money for it when I was around 5-6 years old. I remember pricing out plywood and knowing that it would take me a LONG time to save up enough.

I started drawing up plans hoping mom and dad would see how passionate about it I was and feel sorry for me and eventually give in and just buy it for me :). The thing is I wanted it to symbolize my favorite thing at that point in my life. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t come up with a logical way to shape a plywood house into the shape of a dog… they were too tall, how would I enter without adding a really expensive elevator??

My next best animal was a rabbit, they were much easier to imagine converting to a fort for my small noggin. So I drew up plans for a rabbit shaped structure that would sit in the dog kennel area (approximately 8x15ish feet). I drew it up a hundred different ways and I remember my dad helping and thinking it was cool… at least encouraging me… it wasn’t cool enough to buy to him, but cool still.

That plan never worked out, I had to stay a resident at my folk’s place for another 10-12 years :), I was bummed!

I got pretty distracted from those plans by going to school but I always stayed passionate about building and design. I ended up going to school to be an architect. I am, right now in my internship period, I recently started taking my exams to get my license. While studying I realized just how much I DON’T know. Not only in terms of what is on the exams but I don’t have a ton of ‘real world’ experience with a lot of the products and sciences I shamelessly promote. I want to build this tiny house in an effort to learn ACTUAL construction as well as to give me a baseline for understanding pros and cons for various building systems such as solar power, radiant heat, alternative sewage management etc. I want to document the construction process but also make a record of actual pros and cons of various systems as they function. In theory, I know a lot about these things, in reality I don’t. This is the main reason I am building this.

My Beliefs:

I very much believe that form follows function. Everything in a design should have a reason and a purpose. Good design can seamlessly integrate a plethora of systems and make it look natural. It can take various pieces and add them up to make a greater ‘whole’. I have no doubt there will be a lot of mistakes made from me on this house experiment but I will learn, that IS the ultimate point. In the mean time I get to not only learn about building, I get to learn about myself.

I will miss some things that I find lacking in my tiny house I’m sure (or maybe learn to appreciate them better) and I will realize some things I thought were ‘needs’ are really just wants. Either way I am going to strip my whole world back to what I consider the bare minimum for me to be happy. NOT the bare minimum for what I need to ‘exist’, there will be a lot of ‘excess’, but there are certain luxuries I don’t want to give up (like a shower with shoulder-room, a desk to work on, a chair for reading, an area to do my art work comfortably, etc.), these wants will be in my tiny house. There will be a lot that some deem as ‘needs’ that will not be though, like a spare bedroom, granite counters, a septic system to name a few. I want to prove to myself and to others that it is okay to challenge your own views of what you NEED and what you WANT.

Some say that this living situation won’t work for them, they have kids, or they ‘x’ or they ‘y’. And that may very well be true. But I want people to see that this is a valid direction to head, I may be more extreme about it than necessary but there will be lots of usable aspects for everyone to at least think about. The point overall about building environments is to have as little impact as possible on our ecosystem, in my opinion. Something that is a little closer to this WILL work for everyone. The thing about design is that it is fitting of the end user, or should be. You may not be able to build your home on the bed of a trailer and haul it into the woods at the end of its daily use to be used as a cabin but you CAN build a 600 s.f. house rather than a 2,600 s.f. house… You do not have to be this ‘extreme’ about re-evaluating your life but you CAN re-evaluate some things, you may be surprised at what you come up with, I have been.

Why Now:

Right now I am in a situation of paying someone else’s mortgage (rent), I hate that. There are actually LOTS of benefits to paying rent over a taking out a mortgage, I have learned that over the years. Certainly paying rent is better than buying a house you can’t afford, at high interest rates, low downs and long terms… I would MUCH rather rent than that but, I still hate renting.

There are also benefits in renting when you can ‘test’ out certain neighborhoods and see if you would actually like to put roots down there. You get to try out various layouts and figure out what you like best… I have enjoyed doing all of those things, I hate renting though, I don’t want to rent any longer.

Another, maybe lofty goal is to be able to travel around and learn how to build earth-ships in a couple years. It would be awesome to have a home I could take with me, off the grid and learn to take things to even the next step! That is a lofty dream, and I have a bit to cover first before going there… but still a partial reason I want to build my tiny home.

Why Tiny Works for Me:

*UPDATE*

During construction I met a boy (James), he loved the tiny house idea as much as me, he helped finish it up with me. We’ve been living tiny together in our tiny house since June 2013 with our Great Dane, Denver. In March 2014 we welcomed our daughter, Hazel, to the world and October 2015 our son, Miles. We will be staying put in the tiny house for a bit longer. With some modifications our tiny house has allowed a perfect situation for us to live simply and for me to be able to stay home and raise my daughter.

*UPDATE 2*

Our next and last family member is on their way, we’ve been living tiny for 2 years and loving it! Hazel is smart, ahead of the curve, I have been able to stay home and watch her/help her grow, a BIG priority for me. James and I want two kids, preferably about 18 months apart like we are with our siblings, and we will have them, right about exactly when Hazel turns 1.5 we will be welcoming a new baby into the world. We are planning a tiny house renovation/addition for this summer to help accommodate our growing family. Our home will go from 196 s.f. to 232 s.f.

Tiny works with me because I like simple. I don’t have a ton of ‘stuff’, I don’t want a ton of ‘stuff’. I don’t have extended family or kids to shelter. I am single and don’t plan on starting a family for a couple years at least. I could afford to put visitors up in a hotel with the money I saved from not paying rent. My needs are simple. A simple house will be perfect for me.

I feel weird posting pictures of my life but I will do it anyway 🙂 This is me:

Like this:

85 Comments

hi there! I just found your blog google searching for my blog (clotheslinetinyhomes.com) and we are building a tiny house too – and on a gooseneck trailer! and we also have a little dog…. anyway, I’ll keep checking in on you. keep up the good work! so cool to find there are so many other people building tiny houses!
– Carrie in Prescott, AZ

Hi Carrie!
Awesome to see someone else using a goose-neck! I will definitely be following your project! Thanks for dropping a line best wishes on your project I’m looking forward to following ya! (I’m going to add you under my ‘tinyhousers’ link if you’re not cool with that please let me know 🙂

Hey Macy, I found you through tinyrevolution and just spent an hour catching up. Fantastic documentation of this project so far, I should have been taking notes. I’ve got an old 5th wheel in Texas just begging for a tiny house… thanks for the inspiration to get on that. I’m sure your project/home will turn out great, especially with your attention to detail and that awesome dad you have. Until then, we will all just have to live vicariously through you, because most of us are still in the orange, blue or green portion of our projects. Red is a definitely a good thing in this case! I would love to help you out with some additional 3D renderings if you’re at all interested, it would be my pleasure to do them for you. Just shoot me an email.

Thank you Kevin! It’s so surreal for you to write me that (and so cool!). It made me realize, just now, I AM in the red here, I am actually going… I’ve read so many tiny house project blogs front to back before starting my own and now you’re reading my blog. Crazy! Thank you for the note! I hope you can get building soon too, I’m going to check out your site and add you to my blog links as well, please let me know if you’d like to be removed.
Also some 3D rendering would be awesome :). I’m curious, what software do you use to render?
Thanks again Kevin!

Sorry it took so long to get back, looooong day and I hate commenting through my phone. That would be Plan 3D that I use for my renderings, it runs $17 for one month access or $36… I think for a year’s access. I needed something that truly represented my plans and future concepts the best way possible… and was in my budget so it’s definitely a great program. Add me away! I would be proud to be affiliated with anyone following their dream. Just shoot me an email through Cozy so I can send you some preliminary renderings. Also, let me know if anything has changed from the sketches pleeeez. Trust me, I understand how projects evolve constantly. Perhaps Tobi wants to start a family and you need more room? One truly never knows… 🙂

green with envy in Canada that you have land to build on….my dream is to build a tiny house in the city but can’t afford land….defeats the whole purpose of trying to leave within a budget when the land costs more than the house…. so right now i live vicariously through all those that are so blessed to be able to have the adventure…..May, are you looking for donations for the project? wasn’t sure what the ‘donate’ link on the side was for…. talk to you soon! Bless you!

Well thank you, I’m glad you are enjoying the blog! It is so inspiring to hear that ‘someone’ (other than dad) is interested in this stuff. It is SO cool to me :). I don’t actually have the land though, I still have no idea where I will end up parking this thing… I am a city girl so I hope to find a good situation where I can be downtown too… “If you build it they will come…” right? I am very fortunate in the mean time to have a great set of parents who I live near to… they have given me pretty much free reign to build at their place and in their shop! (huge convenience!)

As far as the donations, of course! Who isn’t looking for donations! 😉 Actually that was put up there because of the suggestions of several friends. I have a pretty tight budget on this project and I figured I would totally donate to some of the blogs I have followed intensely if they had that option, so I threw that on there. Do I expect to get any donations? no… though it is a goal of mine to make one dollar from this blog, but that’s just a silly goal really… The real point of the blog is to be a resource and source of inspiration for other people with the same interests such as yourself! I am so glad you found my blog and that you like it! Thanks for the note!! Best wishes!

I’m probably as old as your dad and just encouraged my son to buy a mini Fiat. Trying to teach my kids about the importance of their legacy. If our City could implement a tiny village, I would be all in and I admire you and all who are doing this, it’s why i am green with envy because if I wanted to take on such and endeavor, I would have to live out of town on an acreage which would mean that i would have to buy a car when that would be the last thing i need right now (:
Sometime we are forced to weigh in the good with the bad (:
i asked about donation because i would love to help you if even in a small way to encourage others to “help our neighbours” even if at this time we ourselves cannot do what you are doing, i think to help you would be a great encouragement to others. I would love to help you if even in a small way.
I can’t wait to see what your new place will look like.
Bless you!

I can’t explain to you how much you just made my day! It is SO cool that other people out there are interested in the same things I am and value the importance of the same ideals I believe in. I definitely think there is room for improvement with city codes when it comes to this sort of lifestyle, it is a major reason I got into building design as a career. I have always felt that way but through starting this project I have found an immense amount of support from people like you who propel me so much further to be that change. This will most likely not be the easiest project but I feel purposeful through this project.

You have also, single-handily caused me to achieve my financial goals with this website with your very generous donation, thank you so much!

And you as well. Spread your good fortune (not just financial but do something for others) and hopefully other will contribute to not just your project but others as well. This is what a community is supposed to be like. God bless you. (:

Marcy, I love your site. i am only in the dreaming phase myself, but love to look at all the site of those who are actually building their tiny dream homes.
I wanted to be an architect when i was in High School. life took me on other paths but I still dream of designing houses . I have several that I have been building in my head for years. I really like the idea of living small and sustainable. I am approaching the retirement years now. I long to travel and have purchased a 1967 trailer and have been working on making it a tiny home that can travel around in.
I am now thinking maybe I should aim for a bigger tiny house that I can put down some roots in as well.
Keep up the good work and don’t worry about how long it takes. It will all be worth it when you get done, rushing it would only make the journey less enjoyable.

Hi Macy, I am excited to see another one of use using a gooseneck. I am at the start of my plans. Currently my trailer is at my parents house in Idaho. I am over in Washington about five hours away so unless I can bring it here it will take me some time.I will be tearing down and RV and rebuilding my house.

I will be following you and looking forward to seeing it finished. Thank you for the blog and all the great information.

I am SO counting you as another Idaho Tiny House! We need all the help we can get! 🙂 You make the 7th I know of in this state! I have added you to my tinyhousers list, I hope you don’t mind, I’m looking forward to following along! Thanks for dropping a note, good luck with your build!

Well, I don’t have a tiny house that I am building, but I really admire those that do just that…but I got rid of a big house and moved to a small condominium, just big enough for me…no mortgage, very low utilities, and I am pretty free of stuff too!

Hi Macy,
Just had to send a note to tell you how much I ADORE your house (and your green door!) I haven’t starting my own building process yet, but I’m getting lots of inspiration on my design from your blog. Congrats on a beautiful new home, can’t wait to see it when it’s totally finished. (And please don’t take down your site for at least a few years till I can harvest and put to use all of your great tips and tricks!)
Jill

Hi Jill! Definitely won’t! Thanks for the note, it’s super awesome to hear from other interested people! Thank you so much for your kind words, I don’t know if you plan to document your process but I would love to follow along when you get there! 🙂

Hi Macy,
I love your house, it is in my top 3 tiny houses. One of the others is clotheslinetinyhomes. I’m not longer a youngster and the way you have your beds over the gooseneck is wonderful. No lofts to climb up to, and no ladders to fall off of. Unfortunately I also have your tendency to injure myself with just about anything. I have 2 dogs and just love the pics you post of Tobi and Denny! I have a pug and a mutt thats about 45 pounds, but I love big dogs. My BFF dogs have been a pekingnese that I had from a baby until I was 17, the last one was my GSD. She was so smart and sweet, I don’t think I want that kind of shedding in a tiny house though! I love the dogs I have now but there was something really special about those two. (BTW, how much do Great Danes shed?)

Anyway, sorry, I’m prone to rambling…. I am really looking forward to your product reviews. I need a W/D, I want my comforts too. I’ve been trying to find a small soaking tub, cause I love to soak (i get achy every now and then and it sooo helps), and they are all over 3 feet in diameter. I have to say you have really put a lot of good ideas together in your tiny and I’m jealous, but drawing plans over and over and over again trying to find what works for me. Getting rid of the “stuff” in preparation has been more of a release than I thought it would be. Thanks for blogging your experience and posting so many pictures, it’s inspiring and helps keep my dreams alive and viable. (No matter how crazy my kids think I am!) If I get a chance to live this dream I’ll be blogging too, because if I can do this, anyone can. The blogs of the tiny housers are great – full of USEFUL information by sharing the experience. Hopefully I’ll keep redo’s to a minimum because of your generosity.

Hi Jo!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate them! I will definitely add a category for bath tubs, I know a few tiny housers who have them, maybe I can ask for a review from them. I would LOVE to follow along with your tiny house when (not if) it happens! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to comment!

Macy,
I am working on some designs for tiny houses with several sip manufacturers. Some have very basic expanded polystyrene parts that go together like a jigsaw puzzle and interlock with a steel framing system. Once the structural envelope is complete an interior and exterior specialized ceramic stucco is used to make the structure monocoque and super strong. This is a very very simple building process that requires minimal building skills. The envelope is easily up in a few hours, a day perhaps. I also supply led lights, electric radiant heating systems, and many environmentally responsible products. Let me know if you would like to learn more. Where are you doing your intern work? It is a great time to be an architect.

We are also working on a collaborative website that will focus on energy products, green products, tiny houses, and much more. I would love to link with your site. Please let me know.

Hi Ron-
When you get your site up and running I would love to check it out. It is a great time to be in architecture for sure, it was not just a few short years ago sadly. I am near my family just outside of Boise, Idaho doing my internship, I really should get off my hobbies and finish my exams, this house build was actually a diversion tactic so I could put off my exams a little longer, I have six more to take before I can call my self an architect.

Hey Macy I just stumble across your site from HuffPo and I’m so happy to read over your posts and keep up for now on. I see we definitely are cut from the same cloth. I live without ‘stuff’ out of necessity (I move around the country often and can’t be bothered) but now that my hand embroidery biz is taking off I’m finding I need a way to keep my workshop mobile, and my tiny office/home/trailer idea was born! Also I ALWAYS travel with my best friend of 13 years, my dog, and it’s sometimes tough to find a place to stay. I’m thrilled to see how many others with similar ideas there are out there. Since I’m still in the planning stages, a blog like yours gives hope and inspiration to people like me trying to make a dream a reality! Thanks Macy!!
Season Laurel

Looks good, its very much functional without giving up the luxuries so many take for granted. I was once very high maintenance until I moved to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta Canada. There I lived in a small 10ft 1979 tin trailer, including the hitch. It was difficult and each day felt like a chore. For my fridge was a small cooler and washroom was an outhouse and water was in a small portable barrel. I showered at the local gym and rotated ice packs from the freezer at work. It was a tough transition, for the trunk of my small car became more and more of a dresser! Canadian winters are a little too harsh for what I ventured into. However, it is most definitely possible, with the right design! I learnt so much and had an amazing time. What I loved more was that the outdoors was my kitchen, my living room and my retreat! Being closer to the elements of nature and weather are liberating!!
Since I am very much a fan and advocate of tiny home living, I know what it takes already. What I do question though is where people are putting these tiny homes? Renting a space to put your tiny home is more often than not just as pricey as renting a small apartment. Are people buying property? Do they intend to stay in someones back yard for years? Whats practical and where is it practical to live?
Thank you in advance.

Hi Kristi-
Wow, you are a bold woman! That is quite the adventure!
I know a lot of people do rent a back yard or something but I agree, it gets spendy. TinyHouseListings has a sections dedicated to matching tinyhousers with people who have space for them, http://tinyhouselistings.com/tiny-house-parking/index.php?s=viewmore. I know there are a few developers who have contacted me about making a tiny house community, none of them to date as far as I know have been very successful at this. I have found a connection through a friend who charges me $200 bucks a month to park on his empty lot. It works well for me for now. I think the most successful tiny housers have a similar experience, it becomes a lot about your personal connections.
Another idea I have explored is purchasing a house with a good sized lot to park on an then renting out the house portion so that a renter will pay the mortgage and I would essentially have free rent. that is a possibility I may be exploring further in the near future too! Some people like Kristie Wolfe have found incredibly great deals on parcels of land for their house.

I have spent all day online reading reading reading about tiny homes, looking at plans, dreaming big–tiny–dreams! I relate to everything you said about your reasons for moving in this direction. I am almost 56, and have lived my entire adult life in the Washington DC metro area in a lifestyle that has never suited me. The time has come to live authentically.

Reading your story, and all the others who are embracing a simpler, mortgage-free lifestyle, is so inspiring. I plan to attend the Tiny House workshop in D.C. in January to get even more excited, and hope to start blogging this whole transition so that other Boomers like me who are looking to make a big change, might do so by thinking Small. : )

I have a lot of respect for you – a thinker who takes action – on principle. I remember an old Steven Seagal movie where he picks up a puppy that some guy had thrown out in a paper bag and named it: “coraggioso”. That name came to mind reading your story.

The whole sustainabilty, alternative, building green concept is something I have been interested in since the 70’s when I first started reading the Mother Earth News in the SF Bay area. I actually moved to Montana to create that dream and got totally side tracked raising a family with four kids and running a business. Subsequently, the large number of books I had accumulated on alternative building and “natural” woodworking burned up in a fire. So the dream was repeatedly bumped ahead in my life until the embers of my “dream fire” were almost extinguished. There are many stories, but there is no room here.

Fast forward thirty + years… I have watched hundreds of home renovation shows and read about sustainable living and building green the whole time. My children are adults and the only regret that is prominent in my life is not building that dream while my children were little and teach them how to live that way as they grew up.

Recently, my second wife died unexpectedly – a lovely, supportive, giving human being. She loved to collect things – and was good at it, but we had already decided to simplify our lives in the last couple of years. Now I am doing so.

I recently bought an old mobile home – interior footprint about 10 feet wide and 30 to 32 feet long (can’t find my tape measure this morning). It’s a 1959 vintage, very well made and the entire metal exterior shell in tact, with no dents or damage. Most of the windows are new, new plumbing and septic, tile floors in the front 2/3.and all new electric. The best part is the location about 5 miles away from one of the finest beaches in the US – in Florida.

My intention is to create my first “hobbit house” along the lines of the “Hercules Caravan” I came across on the tinyhouseswoon site where I found your link:

I am going to document the renovation process over the next year and a half and blog about it.

After this project is complete, I think I am going to do a number of projects using old shipping containers and am actually considering creating two of them in different locations for myself. And then for my kids…

So I am finally going after my dream and I find you to be an inspiration. I would like to stay in touch over time if you are so inclined.

Never give up on your dream, you can really make a difference in the world.

Hi Michael, Thanks so much for the great comment! That sounds like an exciting adventure of a life! I would LOVE to follow along with your renovation project, if you were to send me a link I would hag onto it! The shipping container houses sound fun too, I have considered that as well but I was thinking I would go another direction for my next project and build a strawbale place! I applaud you for going forward with the dream that has never extinguished! Please do stay in touch, all the best!

I would love to stay in touch and maybe even mastermind when the time is right. the world needs innovative leadership and even though – right now – it may not seem to you like you are a leader, you are and you are important. Nice to meet you. Best, Michael

Hi Michael,
Like you, my one regret in life is that I did not follow my inclinations toward simple living when my daughter was small. But also like you, I am taking steps in that direction and intend to blog about the process. Would love to follow your blog. Please make it known when you are up and running!
Eileen

Hello Macy,
I just wanted to wish you a Happy 2014. I would like to congratulate you on your house build and say that as a 64 year old now living in the Kootenay region of BC….that the tiny house movement is such an enlightening beacon for people who desire a healthier planet and a less
ego centric concept of housing and earth domination….
I am constantly amazed by many of the younger generations who are
rejecting the status quo and lead by example…Bravo!….I can be tagged
on Linkendin or Facebook.
Blessings
Bruce

I really love what you do, love your bucket list. You can teach thousands the meaning of a simple but wealthy life.
I live outside the US, in a overcrowded, dirty city, breaking my back to pay a huge debt for a tiny apartment. Really envy your freedom.

Wish you the best and remain free!
Thanks for sharing and opening our eyes.

Hi Macy,
Your home is awesome and you inspire me!
May I ask the details as to who built your home?
Also…was it built in Idaho and how long did it take?
I am seriously thinking on building one like it, living a more simple life and move to Alaska for a more stress free life due to illness!
Thank you Macy and blessings to you and your little family!

Hi Jolene, thanks for the kind words, I built the house, each step of the way. It was a learning project for me so it was critical I did everything myself. It was built in Meridian and then moved to Boise, it took 18 months start to finish in my spare time around two jobs and misc. other commitments and with two months off for a broken back. Hope that’s helpful, thanks again!

I love it!!! I am going to be working on my tiny house soon. The only thing, and I bring it up because I just don’t see it posted very often, in most cases what we are doing or dream of doing is illegal! We’ve got to get the federal government to mandate that states stay out of zoning away peoples rights. Rarely, at least in California, does a local county allow people to live in tiny houses. It needs to be talked about!

I would argue that the federal government is in fact the problem, not the solution, there is A LOT more leniency with local government in my experience… You do happen to live in one of the more progressive states and are very close to other areas (Washington and Oregon) who have made accommodations for tiny houses. It’s starting, it just takes time! (if you haven’t already look into Jay Shafer, he’s doing great thing in your area!) Thank YOU for helping the community out and showing interest! 🙂

Hi Macy, my name is Jason. As a little boy many of my bedrooms were actually big closets. I guess that is why I feel so safe in small spaces. In fact in our home
(I have a family). We have a closet room affectionately known as the napping room. The kids and I love it. I am an environmentalist at heart also. I hope you
Will agree that emulation is the greatest form of Flattery. When looking for a tiny house to build, I found a picture of your house on Pintetest. I am currently building a home based on your design from the pictures. I hope to connect with you and learn from your experience in this exciting new venture.
Thanks,
Jason

Hi Jason!
That’s awesome, of course emulation is the greatest form of flattery, good for you, i am glad I could be any sense of inspiration for your project. I am happy to chat about any aspect you wish! All the best of luck!

Macy- the composting toilet was one of the most expensive parts of your project? I was under the impression that you could get one for $300 bucks and up- was there a particular reason yours was so expensive? I’m wondering if there were some regulations and codes you had to work around with that.

Hi Harmoni!
You can get composting toilets in all sorts of price ranges, that is true. Mine has passed health and safety testing and has been legally accepted in several city centers across the nation, it is very difficult to get other units to meet those requirements. It is the testing for meeting those requirements is the spendy part but it’s pretty critical if you want to live in a city, less so if you are ok being rural. Hopefully that clears that up!

Okay, I’m totally in love with your blog. Thank you so much for putting all this information out there to benefit others. And thanks for putting yourself out there! It is kind of strange (for anyone with even the slightest sense of privacy) revealing so much about ourselves when creating sites. But you never know you touch and inspire. It’s important! Best of luck with the baby. I can say from personal experience that March 15 is an EXCELLENT birthday. 😉 Take care. – Mariehttp://www.edystinyhouse.com

Thank you so much Marie! You are totally right, and I think it is important so I keep going :). I hope it’s alright but I added your site to my TinyHouser list, thanks for taking a moment to reach out!

would love to know more about your tiny house. i wouldn’t mind doing to same where i live in kenya and put one at the bottom of the garden. could you fill me in a bit more with details, please … janine

I’m not sure what more you want to know specifically, that’s a pretty broad question, I have over 250 posts about various parts of it including the entire construction process, is there something more specific you’d like more info on?

I care! I’m so glad you went into so much detail. We have some rural property we are thinking about putting a container home on.

I feel like I know you after reading your site so I just wanted to say congratulations on your home and baby. We lived in my mother-in-laws basement when we brought our son home. I remember how overwhelming and freaked out I was about all the ‘stuff’ babies need. I hope you’re doing well and have kept your positive outlook – and do so in the coming months. One thing I learned about sharing a tiny space with a newborn was – go ahead and make the noise you need to make. I kept a too sterile and quiet environment for my son because he woke so easily and was so fussy. I was miserable. My daughter had to get use to the noise and did after a few weeks of everyone suffering a little.

Anyhow, you’ll do great. Former generations had much less.

Thanks again for sharing your home. If I ever get ours started I will come back. Best of luck to you and your family.

Thank you Amanda! I couldn’t be happier, I am convinced I have the best baby ever :). She certainly doesn’t seem to be scared yet from not having all the ‘things’ available. Good advice on the noise, I have her conditioned well, she doesn’t even wake up when Denver barks (I encouraged him to bark while I was pregnant so she could get used to it), any other dog barks though and she doesn’t like it! Best of luck with your container home, that would be such a fun project! I would love to hear about it! Thanks again

Hi Macy! I found your house via a Facebook post, I think. You have created the most beautiful tiny house I have ever seen. It looks so warm and inviting, outside and in. I love all the wood! And all the light and bright. It is beautifully appointed, too. I also really enjoyed reading about how you conceived and created it. Thank you for sharing this beautiful creation with the world! And best of luck as you raise that lovely little girl.

Hi Macy,
I feel like I know you a little through your work on this blog. I am very interested in your story, and I can see why you have received so much press. I have begun a blog onetinyhouse.wordpress.com and I now follow your blog. My blog isn’t much, yet.

With your book download, is it something I can download on my computer and my iphone? I recently learned my iphone will read selected text to me, which I find very useful. But I also like to see things on my laptop.

I think I hit your other question in case though here is the answer!
Hi Tami! Thank you also for your kind words! Thank you also for the link to your blog, I cant wait to check it out!
My book download is a pdf, you should be able to open it on either device, not positive about the reading though, if it’s like my ap that is always hit and miss! Can’t wait to follow along with you!

You’ll be able to download it once I believe but then you’ll have a PDF you can put on either device. 🙂 (I think you actually have 5 days and 5 download tries before the link expires,just incase it fails during download. If you have any issues though you can just shoot me an email after purchase and I’ll make sure you get what you need!)

Wow, wow, wow! You’re such an inspiration to me! Everything from your amazing house to how you choose to live. (Not to mention you built your own home by hand!!!!) My family and I live in New Zealand but are moving to Australia in a month. I have a 6 year old son who I home-school, a 2 year old daughter and another on the way. I’m convincing my husband that we really do need to live in a ‘tiny home’ as I love the idea of just sticking to the basics in life. I’m wondering how we could make your house plan work with three kids.. Maybe make the roof a little higher and have a triple bunk bed? Hmm. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your story and everything about your home! There’s literally nothing I’d change about it. Your family is so beautiful and I wish you well with the birth of your son (Can’t wait to hear his name!) Congrats to you all for such an amazing life.

Hi Cleo! Well thank you so much for the kind words, we sound a bit alike! 🙂 there is definitely room for some addition space! First off I have an over the wheel trailer, you could get back about 16 inches if you build on a drop axle. Second, I built to 12’6″, by American standards you could raise the roof another 12″so there is 2′-4″ you can add in height! With that… you COULD add a loft over the kitchen/bathroom and have an additional sleeping space OR you could add a bunk, though I imagine your 6 year old will want a bigger bed than the ones I currently show in the addition (that room can accommodate a twin bunk bed if I nix the door)… thank you for your very kind words!

I just found your site by googling about composting toilets…I have only read one or two posts. I have no idea where in the country or world you live, but have you, or anyone you have known about found crazy zoning laws that prohibit tiny houses on lots? I live in NY and think this might be the case out here…I really have no idea though…very curious.

Hi SLW, Im in Idaho but yes, the laws around tiny houses are complex. They are legally rvs, which are historically hard on zoning. It’s not special for your state, they are tough to do legally in most areas, most people you see are living in a less than legal way, myself included.

Macy Miller

My name is Macy, I started building my 196 square foot tiny home December 2011, in the process I met a boy, James. 18 months after starting my house we moved in and started our family which includes our daughter, Hazel, son, Miles, and our Great Dane, Denver. This is where I talk about my experience with all of that :).
To learn more about us click here

Ethan's fantastic resource for all things tiny house. Takes you through every decision, from noob to dweller.

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The best magazine out there on the topic. For tiny house people from tiny house people. 3+ years of a monthly magazine 60-80ish pages each with awesome photos and one of a kind articles.Dan Louche's great guide to actual tiny house construction including lots of details and images!The best guide I have found to simplify off grid power!A set of four DVD's from an experienced contractor with one of the most famous tiny houses out there going through all the 'how-to's'Dee Williams pamphlet specifying moisture control considerations and trailer connection detailsThis is just a great book! With a pretty house on the cover! ;-)This is just a great book! With a pretty house on the cover! ;-)